UCLA nurses hold vigil to express frustration

LOS ANGELES - Frustrated, angry and burned out, that’s how UCLA nurses describe their current mental state. 

“I don’t understand it, I can’t grasp around it, the horrors that I’m seeing and why people can’t believe this is real,” says Diane Sposito, an ER Nurse. 

Her fellow nurse Marcia Santini says she’s angry people aren’t doing everything they can to stop the spread of the virus. 

“We’re going through those stages of grief. We’re angry now, eight months into this and we’re in a much worse stage than we were back in March,” Santini said. 

The UCLA nurses held a candlelight vigil in the memory of those who’ve lost their lives during this pandemic. They also used the event to urge the public to follow the safety guidelines. 

Nurse Sharon Knight said, “This is no joke, this is for real. These are real lives, people are dying. We need to wear our masks, wash our hands and stay six feet away from each other.”

The nurses also addressed the problems they’re facing at work including short staffing at the hospital and COVID-19 testing not being available to UCLA nurses unless they have symptoms.

Sposito says, “They should be giving us testing every other week, we can’t wait till somebody has symptoms.” 

They all agree it’s a painful and difficult year and all they’re asking is for a little understanding and cooperation. 

Sposito says, “Please mask up, wash your hands and help us to help you.” 

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